Synopsis: FAMILY ABOVE ALL – In the aftermath of the latest killing, Black Lightning (Cress Williams) works to clear his name while also hunting down the person responsible for his father’s death, and anyone else involved. Tensions remain high between Black Lightning and Gambi (James Remar).
Review: In “The Book of Little Black Lies,” writer Keli Goff ripped the band-aid off. Make no mistake, the Pierce family danced the We-Did-It-To-Protect-You Two-Step. Unlike the other CW superhero shows, however, the choreography was mature, and everyone felt the realistic weight of the situation. Christine Adams and China Anne McClain, in particular, did great jobs conveying the emotions behind what would have otherwise been tediously bog standard material.
On other fronts, Goff demonstrated why shorter seasons are the best way to go. Viewers were given a powerful lesson in narrative economy as Jefferson, Anissa, and Henderson converged on the Big Bads, driving the story forward. Additionally, Gambi embodied the No-Filler-Added attitude when he employed an extremely efficient interrogation method, creating a clear path for the remaining episodes. Writers on Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl really need to emulate this pacing.
On a lighter note, viewers got awesome references to Vixen and Supergirl. Combine them with an earlier shout out to The Outsiders and the pattern is clear. On Black Lightning’s Earth (which needs an official designation A.S.A.P.), the other superheroes are fictional. Some will say that precludes crossovers. With the proper writing, though, the other characters’ fictional status could be a boon. After all, the differences in tone among the shows could be addressed by virtue of the others being comic book characters that happen to be real in other worlds.
I hope the writers and production crews can work things out. I don’t just want Black Lightning crossovers for the viewers. I want them for David Harewood, who is a long-time fan, too. This fangirl loves watching him be a fanboy.
Written by: Keli Goff
Directed by: Tawnia McKernan
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- Story8.5
- Performances9.0
- Music9.0
